Naruto, What's the point of being Hokage if you don't get involved!

"It's just that, I'm afraid neither of them even realizes it themselves..."

Ino fell into a reverie...

"Now that you mention it, that's true..."

"Sasuke never takes the initiative to speak to anyone, yet he always loves to mock Naruto..."

"And Naruto always loves to pick fights with Sasuke, too..."

"Could this be what they call 'love-hate'?"

Hinata blushed, smiling as she nodded slightly.

"M-maybe so..."

Ino let out a long sigh: "Sigh, I really don't get it..."

As the sun set, the two girls, both lost in thought, walked side by side.

Golden light spilled over them, stretching their shadows long...

On the other side, Naruto was experiencing unprecedented happiness.

Not only had he proven his strength, but now he was being treated to Ichiraku Ramen by Iruka.

What more could one ask for in life...

He wolfed down the food frantically, finishing bowl after bowl.

Iruka couldn't help but press a hand to his forehead and sigh.

"Slow down, Naruto. It's not like I'm not going to let you eat your fill."

"I told you, it's my treat."

Naruto mumbled while continuing to gulp down mouthfuls of noodles.

"Exactly because it's Iruka's treat, I have to eat even more bowls!"

"This is a rare and wonderful occasion, after all..."

Iruka frowned: "Is it really that rare for me to treat you to ramen?"

"Your appetite seems to have grown even larger than before..."

Naruto suddenly thought of something.

"I'm nothing compared to a real big eater!"

"A real big eater?"

"Are you talking about Choji?"

Naruto shook his head frantically.

"Iruka would never guess..."

"It's Hinata!"

"Hi-Hinata?!"

Iruka was truly shocked. That small frame of hers, a big eater?

He wouldn't believe it even if he were beaten to death.

However, Ayame chuckled secretly.

"What Naruto says is true. Last time Naruto treated Hinata to a meal, she ate seventeen bowls in total!"

"Se-seventeen bowls?!"

Iruka was dumbfounded.

Naruto felt a sense of reflected glory, looking smug.

"How about that? Impressive, right?!"

Iruka: "It's not you, so why are you so smug?"

Naruto laughed out loud: "Because..."

He suddenly froze, scratching his head frantically.

"Because of what, exactly..."

"You're right, it's Hinata, not me..."

"But, for some reason, it feels kind of the same..."

Ayame, who had long since seen through the mystery, couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle.

Uncle Ichiraku, Iruka, and even Naruto himself were all clueless.

"Come to think of it, Iruka, why are you treating me?"

Uncle Ichiraku asked as he added another bowl of ramen for Naruto.

"Ah, Naruto has been performing very well lately, so consider this a reward for him."

"Oh, if that's the case, then this bowl is on the house, consider it a reward for Naruto as well!"

Naruto laughed and said, "Thanks, Uncle Ichiraku!"

"Wait, that's not right, Iruka is the one paying anyway, why am I so happy..."

After finishing the ramen, Iruka offered Naruto a few more words of encouragement before the two parted ways.

Back home, although Naruto was still excited, he did not forget to continue his grueling training.

With the system's gentle reminders, he couldn't forget even if he wanted to.

What he needed to practice tonight was...

Clone Technique and Dual-Tasking.

Naruto activated the power of the [Distraction-Dual-Use] entry.

He practiced the Chakra Refinement Technique while simultaneously working on the Clone Technique.

As the proficiency of these ninjutsu increased, Naruto became more and more adept.

He could completely manage both without them interfering with or affecting each other.

The secret to Naruto's Clone Technique training was the method he had devised himself: training in front of a mirror.

In this way, he could turn the clones he previously only imagined in his mind into concrete images, making his Clone Technique training twice as effective with half the effort.

However, tonight, he decided to stop relying on the mirror.

He would practice relying solely on his own strength.

Because he had been staring at it for so long, even without the mirror, Naruto's own image was already etched deep into his bones.

"Clone!"

Before the words had even faded, three incredibly refined clones appeared on both sides of Naruto's body.

They were lifelike and indistinguishable from the real thing.

The fourth one, however, was still somewhat blurry.

"Damn it..."

"That bastard Sasuke can easily create five clones, and every single one of them is exactly like his original body!"

"Again!"

But in reality, Naruto's current level of Clone Technique had already surpassed most of his peers.

An average student at the Ninja Academy could at most create two clones by the time they graduated.

The fact that Naruto could create four meant he was already at the level of an honor student.

It was just that he had always set Sasuke as his goal, so naturally, he felt he was still far behind.

"Alright, let's pause Dual-Tasking for now and focus entirely on the Clone Technique!"

The system did not intervene, and Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, pouring all his focus into the Clone Technique.

"Clone!"

This time, the fourth clone was indeed much clearer and more realistic.

Naruto was overjoyed.

"It seems that even with the power of the [Distraction-Dual-Use] entry, Dual-Tasking still can't compare to training with one's full heart and soul..."

Looking at these virtual clones, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck Naruto, and a thought seemed to race through his mind.

"Clone Technique, Dual-Tasking..."

"What was it that I just thought of?"

Naruto looked left and right, gazing at the four clones beside him...

Suddenly, he slammed his fist into his palm.

"Ah, that's it..."

"Since I can perform Dual-Tasking, if I let these clones have my thoughts, could they act on their own?!"

"I am a genius!"

"However..."

Naruto's expression dimmed again.

"These clones are all just formed from a tiny bit of chakra; they are mere illusions, not physical entities. They can only be used to confuse and lure enemies, so it's impossible for them to have any real autonomy..."

"If I want to achieve what I've envisioned, I must first make these clones into physical entities..."

"How can I do that?"

Naruto began to ponder deeply.

"Ah, the simplest idea is to just allocate more chakra to the Clone Technique!"

He immediately began his experiment.

This was Naruto, after all; if it were any other normal person, they wouldn't dare risk such an experiment even if they had the same thought.

Because this was an extremely dangerous endeavor.

Not to mention, there were no senior ninjas nearby to stand guard.

But such was Naruto's personality: carefree, reckless, and impulsive, doing whatever came to his mind.

Without a single worry, he immediately began his trial.

"Allocate more chakra..."

"Clone Technique!"

This time, Naruto used more chakra, yet he only produced a single clone.

Sure enough, the clone looked much more solid, but it still couldn't be considered a physical entity.

"Still not enough..."

"This time, I'll try using one-tenth of my chakra!"

"Clone Technique!"

Still not enough...

"One-fifth!"

Still not enough...

"One-third!"

Not enough...

Naruto was panting heavily; just to verify a sudden hunch, he had already exhausted nearly all of his chakra.